Memory woes...

[Sean Fox]

I've been having problems for a little while whilst trying to increase the RAM in mywindows 98 machine. I've bought several modules but none of them work - I get a long beep on start up, there's no display and the system doesn't POST.

Can anyone help advise where I might be going wrong please?

This is the working RAM (2 x 32MB): http://imgur.com/a/SqMZ523


And these are the modules I've bought in an attempt to bump up to 128MB - so far none of them work.

http://imgur.com/a/MFTqXaG
http://imgur.com/a/tqluWKt
http://imgur.com/a/yQOkTYH

 

[Sean Fox]

Just a single long beep or does it keep doing long beeps?

Just a single long beep

 

[Sean Fox]

What cpu / motherboard?

Some of the forum members here helped me to try and narrow it down and we think it's probably this - http://www.uncreativelabs.de/th99/m/I-L/34285.htm

It's in a Gateway 2000 system so there isn't much in the way of identifying marks in there.

I would probably buy 2x 128 or 256mb, 133MHz RAM module off eBay and use only one of them to rule out any slot issues or chipset limitations. They're less than a fiver. It at least removes the potential for your 3 sticks (or the slots) not working together

I've bought a bunch of modules now off Ebay and I've tried them individually as well as in pairs, however and the only ones that work are the 2 x 32MB ones that I mentioned in the OP

 

[Sean Fox]

What type of bios is it?

do you have another machine you can test the other sticks in to 100% rule out that they are not dead?

The BIOS is - AMIBIOS version 1.00.07.DQ0T UAV
Unfortunately this is the only machine I can test on - although I'm thinking it would be seriously bad luck to have bought 3 lots of (allegedly) "tested" memory from 3 different sellers and to find that all 3 are faulty

 

[Sean Fox]

Have you tried clearing CMOS between the ram switching?

Hmmm no I haven't - do you think that could make a difference?

I'll give it a try this weekend

 

[Sean Fox]

Just a quick question - Any reason for wanting so much ram? The Intel TX chipset can only cache 64mb of ram, anything else will slow the system down. This being a Socket 7 machine i would say 64mb is plenty. What CPU do you have installed?

I was hoping it might help a little with some of the more demanding games. For example, I play Diablo II and even though the machine is below the minimum spec it runs ok, but frame rates do drop a bit at times. I was holding out a little bit of hope that adding some more RAM might help with situations like that.

The CPU is a P200 MMX and has a Voodoo 1 card in there if that makes any difference.

 

[Sean Fox]

Your current RAM maxs out the motherboards Intel chipset, you cannot fit anymore RAM, nor can it utilise any faster type or speed of memory, such as EDO. For the specs on your memory that works see:
https://www.datasheets360.com/pdf/6247830593046138001

Thanks so much for the wealth of info you've posted! It explains lot with regard to why I couldn't get the 128MB running!

I'd be more than happy to help with the BIOS - drop me a message with the instructions and I'll get this done for you tomorrow